FABA is a store of fine Chilean handicraft with a three generation family tradition, dedicated to make beautiful and exclusive works of art that express our cultural heritage.

With a large variety of fine jewelry and exclusive handicraft objects, our goal has been to show and maintain our country’s traditions. We have preserved and maintained these centuries-old traditions of handicraft in our store so that visitors can appreciate an important example of our culture.

Lapislazuli and other semi precious stones like jasper, cross stone, turquoise, malachite and obsidian are used by our goldsmiths to create exclusive pieces in different forms and designs which are combined with different metals like gold, silver, copper and bronze.

Lapislazuli

Lapislazuli (blue stone), it is a semiprecious stone and it is composed of 14 different minerals and the main ones are: lazurita, that creates the blue color, calcite that produces the white and grey stripes, and pyrite that gives the golden reflections.

Lapislazuli is mined naturally in Chile and Afghanistan. In Chile the stone is extracted in the summer season, when the climate is favourable, since the only mine is located at very high altitude (estimated 3.000 m/9.800 ft) in the Andes, near the town of Ovalle, in the north.

Because of its intense and exclusive blue colour, this semi-precious stone has been the symbol of purity, health, luck and nobility for more than 6.000 years. In spite of this, lapislazuli, in Chile, has been commercially extracted since the nineteenth century, Diaguitas and other pre-colombian cultures had used already the stone in their masks and other objects. In September 20th 1984 lapislazuli was declared the national stone of Chile.

Nowadays, Chile is known for its well-crafted lapislazuli art, which has improved significantly over the years, progressing from rudimentary elaboration to a more polished art. The jeweler's expert hand can create elegant and sophisticated jewels and decoration objects that use only lapislazuli or in combination with other metals like gold, silver and copper.

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